DADDY
& THEM With Brenda Blethyn, Laura Dern, Andy Griffith, Diane Ladd, Kelly
Preston, Billy Bob Thornton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Affleck Directed by Billy
Bob Thornton Billy Bob is one busy guy. Another one of his written/directed/acted
efforts come in the shape of family/relationship driven Southern white trash scenario
of love and jealousy (with a bit of humour pumped in). Married to a gal (jealous
about his relationship with her older sister years back) become the focal point
amid a congregation of family members to assist an uncle with an assault court
case coming up. The character driven film has a very natural flow (like most of
Billy's projects) with a real touch of humanity inside it all. Slightly off-center
entertainment looking at apparent dead-end lives but proving that even the most
insignificant of people and slightest problems they may face are real and urgent
to them - its resolution often quite apparent, just needing to hit the right key.
4 / C - PB

DAREDEVIL
With Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Joe Pantoliano
Directed by Mark Steven Johnson Stan Lee is cashing in on quite a pension
with his comic book creations in his ripe old age. Spider-Man, the second
X-Men flick and now the darkly serious Hulk and Daredevil
just a few of the block busters gracing our screens in crotch hugging outfits
the past couple of years. Affleck is actually not a bad choice for the man blinded
as a boy by chemical waste, only to discover it enhanced his hearing and gave
him a super radar sense. His boxing father got murdered and he swore to fight
for right and uphold justice - by becoming a lawyer by day and vigilante superhero
by night, of course. When he falls for a hot girl, their alter egos become enemies
as Daredevil gets framed for killing her father. She happens to be a martial
arts expert and equally hot in tight leather! The man behind this set-up is Kingpin,
who hired Bullseye to do the job. Kingpin runs the entire city's underground activities,
and with Bullseye, adhere very well to the comic book recipe. With
excitement, vicious action, great FX and the inevitable romantic link, the story
doesn't take a wussy copout, but heads into adult territory without the violin
infused happy endings. Great stuff. An extra disc will give you a whole bunch
of bonus stuff to Marvel at. The stomping soundtrack includes South African
rockers Seether. 4 / B - PB

THE
DARK BACKWARD With Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, Wayne Newton, James Caan, Lara
Flynn Boyle Directed by Adam Rifkin This weird tale of a failed comedian
who has an arm grow from his back is filled with strange and funny moments as
this poor guy tires to carve a place in the sun for himself. Newton and Caan are
pretty funny. One of the few interesting films from ex-brat packer Nelson since
The
Breakfast Club.
Rifkin went on to make the mockumentary Welcome
To Hollywood
and the Kiss themed movie Detroit
Rock City.
4 / B - PB

DARK
BREED With Jack Scalia Directed by Richard Pepin Astronauts crash
land on earth, “contaminated”. They’ve been taken over by aliens who (guess what?)
want to take over and destroy earth! Jack “straight-to-video” Scalia is the man
of the hour, plodding through many action scenes of mostly inferior or TV quality.
Some cool, yet formulaic 4-angle pyrotechnic mayhem, though. Some of the elements
include Jack’s best buddy being host to the head alien; eggs incubating withing
48hrs; the military are untrustworthy and basically the cause of it all; warehouse/factory
sequences; some silly cliff hangers (like skiing on a satellite dish behind a
van); crappy lizard contact lenses; awkward looking military personnel who don’t
seem to look at ease with their weapons; Predator/Alien rip-off monsters; atrocious
dialogue replacement (especially the guy who played Col. Dekker in The A-Team)
and a “nail-biting” story line that’s so filled with cliché it’s nothing to rush
out for in a hurry. 1 / C - PB

DARK
CITY With Rufus Sewell, Jennifer Connolly, Keifer Sutherland, William Hurt,
Richard O'Brian Directed by Alex Proyas An amazing idea very well executed
by the director of The
Crow.
A man wakes up with amnesia. It seems as though he has murdered someone. With
cops after him, he tries to get to the bottom of it all as he discovers clues
to his own identity. What he uncovers is an alternate reality where weird beings
reconstruct the world where the oblivious humans follow their day-to-day lives
in a '50s atmosphere. A great fusion of noir and sci-fi with cool effects and
an incredible dark shadow enhanced mood. Offers a whacked out punchline on top
of it all. 5 / B - PB

THE
DARK CRYSTAL With voices by Frank Oz, Jim Henson Directed by Jim Henson
& Frank Oz The geniuses behind The
Muppets
made this incredible fantasy film entirely with puppets and costumes, creating
an alternate reality with a mystic legend binding the divided worlds of good and
evil. Two of the last remaining elflings eradicated by the nasty Skeksies have
to fulfill a quest to restore the balance of their world. The makers created a
realm entirely from scratch, from weird plants to even freakier creatures - preempting
a similar task later undertaken with Labyrinth
- all completely without digital assistance. This special collector's DVD edition
has some great making-of footage and interviews, a look at the amazing art design
plus a replicated film notebook and an original limited mounted film frame. 6 / A - PB

DARK
HERITAGE With Tim Verkaik, Mark Lacour Directed by David McCormick
Ultra-poor “horror” schlock, low on scares, low on FX and above all, low on acting
ability. Campers turn up dead and a journalist (complete tosser ) checks it out
with an overnight stint in the notorious “haunted” house in the woods. The two
guys accompanying him disappear without trace. Two researchers assist him in tracking
down the historical significance of a family who have evolved into flesh eating
ghouls, emerging from the ground via extensive tunnels when there’s lighting storm.
Rubber mask wearing crappo that often result in loud laughter when the makers
were serious. OK shots & scenes might be counted on one hand. 1 / C -
PB

DARKMAN
With Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake Directed
by Sam Raimi A scientist working on skin synthesis is blown up by a crime
boss. He is forced to become a well-done angel of vengeance, setting up his makeshift
lab in a warehouse and using his skin methods to temporarily reconstruct his face.
With many B-movie and comic book super-hero elements, the film conveys an entertaining
action romp and a tragic sense of isolation, as our dark hero is unable to unite
with his love. One can see this 1990 flick as the fusion between the Evil
Dead,
which Raimi made a decade before this, and Spider-Man,
which he directed a decade later. Spawned several inferior sequels. 4
/ B - PB DARKNESS
FALLS With Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield, Lee Cormie, Grant Piro Directed
by Jonathan Liebesman Finally a South African director manages to crack into
the American horror market. Richard Stanley did do Hardware,
Dust
Devil
and kick-started the Island
Of Dr. Moreau
remake, and actors like Arnold Vosloo did The
Mummy,
Alice Krige appeared in Ghost
Story,
and Embeth Davidtz in the third Evil
Dead
flick Army
Of Darkness: The Medievil Dead -
but Darkness
Falls
cracked a top American box-office spot. A young boy afraid of the dark grows up
not to shake his fear. The town he grew up in holds the legend of a woman nicknamed
the Tooth Fairy, who was burned for being a witch one and a half centuries ago.
Legend has it that she moves in darkness and takes kids from the night. On returning
to his town, our hapless hero has to face up to his fears and try to survive and
save the town from the evil spirit's stranglehold. Entertaining, but tends to
get a bit wobbly in parts, especially when it panders to modern horror expectations.
3 / B - PB DARK
WATER With Jennifer Connelly, Ariel Gade, Jennifer Baxter, Linda Emond, John
C Reilly, Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Pete Postlethwaite, Shelly Duvall Directed
by Walter Salles The dinosaur craze is over, so is the Halloween-styled
Scream
rips. The next frontier is for Hollywood to not only rip off the modern Japanese
horror film, but to actually remake them even before some of the originals hit
the screen! Sure, it will blow over eventually, but do yourself a favour and try
to catch the originals before they get the Hollywood make-over. With The
Ring leading the
pack (its sequel remake directed by the series' original guy, Hideo Nakata). Like
so many Japanese horror films, Nakata loves the haunting kid subject and elevators,
water also playing a prominent part. When the Ring
2's remake hit our
shores I in fact thought it was a combination of Nakata's Dark
Water (having read
some bits on it). But, in fact they just reveal an obsessed with similar subjects.
Here the engaging Connelly plays a young mother who is going through a difficult
divorce and has to share custody of her daughter. They have to move to a more
affordable apartment just outside of New York City on Roosevelt Island. From the
get-go the rundown building seems strange. Soon haunting phenomena related to
water start to disrupt their lives. A slow, brooding pace and eerie moments enhance
the mood, and while it's not exactly an all-out scare-fest, it is an engaging
study of a mother's instincts to keep her child in every sense of the word. PS. I didn't spot Shelley Duvall, daughter of Robert who played opposite Jack
Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick's film version of Stephen King's The Shining
(unless she was one of the brief marriage consultants bit players...) 4 / C - PB DAVE
GAHAN - Live Monsters
Firmly establishing his position as legitimate solo artist, it will be near impossible
for Dave Gahan to discard his Depeche
Mode
legacy. Thus he embraces it. His solo material is more personal than the material
given him by the domineering Mr. Gore. Dave may be coming on in years with much
excess in his wake, but he still owns the stage and projects the same charisma
(albeit with a slight twinge of world-weariness). In this case it is more of a
cohesive band as he worked closely with the other members in giving it life, be
it Hold On, Dirty Sticky Floors, Stay or A Little Piece. These personal
songs are filled with passion and a genuine sense. At times it seems as though
he tries to drop his range a little to avoid that trademark DM sound, sometimes
diminishing the natural impact he can conjure up. Still, on this live show the
already fawning crowd responds with extra vigour when he slips in the DM
songs (like when Sting throws in a Police track) - They include the classics A
Question Of Time, Walking In My Shoes, Personal Jesus, I Feel You and Never
Let Me Down Again. They are less electronic and sometimes delivered more up-tempo.
The success and impact of those songs are as much his as the rest of DM
and Gahan has nothing to be ashamed of nor need to evade. He will always be the
voice of Depeche
Mode and if
there is a dozen of his new fans who never heard a DM
track, that'll be a lot. Extra features: a three-track acoustic radio appearance
and a short film on the tour. Regular Anton Corbijn took care of the photography
and art direction. 4 / B - PB DAVE
KOZ - Off The Beaten Path: Live From Trinidad Dave
Koz is an
easy listening jazz saxophonist that may fall in your taste category if you're
into artists like David
Sanborn. The
moody, chilled and often vibrant audio eruption of smooth jazz tones is not in
the least offensive. This live show was recorded at the idyllic, tropical setting
of Trinidad in the Port of Spain. 10 songs are performed with ease, like Don't
Look Back, Flat Feet, Awakenings, You Make Me Smile, Let Me Count The Ways
and Follow Me Home. Contributing artists of the Callaloo Company (dressed
up) further blend two cultures and musical languages with a visual touch. Extra
music videos are included: You Make Me Smile, Don't Look Back, Faces Of The
Heart and Wake Up Call - no groundbreaking visions, just basic promo
clips with an 80s feel. 4 / B - PB DAVID
GILMORE - In Concert This particular DVD is
one of those where the factions collide. You get Pink
Floyd fans, but then within this group you have pro-Waters and pro-Gilmour
sects. Their differences needn't be ours, so enjoying their collaborative efforts
and solo endeavours respectively can only result in you gaining 1/3 more music
pleasure than you would have, had you shunned one for the other. If you don't
like either of them, nor Pink Floyd, then why the hell are you reading
this?! On this DVD you'll find 16 tracks from the Meltdown and Royal
Festival Hall concerts (2002). The songs performed are taken from the new
and old Pink Floyd repertoire, Gilmour himself and covers of tracks,
Dimming Of The Day, Breakthrough and Sherman's Hushabye Mountain.
The French, choir driven Je Crois Entendre Encore by Bizet, is a
nice touch. The choir injects some beautiful moments throughout the already marvelous
batch of music. The Pink Floyd related tunes include Shine On You Crazy
Diamond (pts 1-8), Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Coming
Back To Life, Smile, High Hopes plus Sid Barrett's Terrapin
and Dominoes. Guests appear on Comfortably Numb at both shows -
Bob Geldof (who starred as Pink in The Wall movie) doing one of
them - other guests include Richard Wright & Robert Wyatt. Then
there's Michael Kamen shines on piano & English Horn. The backing band
also include cello and double bass worked into the electric band, fleshing it
out that much more. While on the fleshing-out subject, Gilmour would've
been an attractive older guy had he not expanded substantially over the years.
Extras include Spare Digits - extra bits of music from the show. Home Movie rehearsing
with the choir. A High Hopes choral version. I Put A Spell On You with
Mica Paris & Jools Holland ('92). The track Don't from the
Leiber and Stoller tribute concert (2001). Shakespeare's Sonnet
18 with music by Michael Kamen. Lyrics sheets for all of the tracks
can also be accessed. 4 / B - PB DAWN
OF THE DEAD With David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, Tom
Savini Directed by George A. Romero In 1978, a decade after Romero's
classic zombie benchmark Night
Of The Living Dead,
he resurrected his theme on a much larger scale and in vivid colour. With Italian
horror director Dario Argento as co-producer, Romero set the bulk of his action
in a shopping mall (which was quite a new thing at that time). A group of people,
including two SWAT team members makes a run for it with a helicopter as the (again
inexplicable) zombie epidemic spreads like wildfire. Romero again favoured a black
actor and blonde female as leads. This group holes up in a mall where they can
sustain themselves for a very longtime. But slowly their idyllic sure-thing starts
to fall apart. As you should know, if you're bitten by a zombie it isn't long
before you turn into one yourself, with a craving for human flesh. The scale of
the doomsday mood and atmosphere of chaos coupled with action and graphic horror
(courtesy of Tom Savini) has a great combining effect of adrenaline, tension,
scares, gross-out and a bit of social commentary (Romero's subtext of runaway
consumerism being an apt analogical device in the guise of flesh eating freaks).
Argento's collaborative soundtrack creators The Goblins provided the fantastic
music. This DVD release includes a commentary track by Romero and producer Richard
P. Rubinstein, a 75-minute docy on the movie, biogs, trailers, radio spots and
a photo gallery. This is a classic shocker that got a remake in 2004. 5
/ A - PB DAWN
OF THE DEAD With Ving Rhames, Sarah Polley, Jake Weber Directed by Zack
Snyder The Zombie genre has received a bit of a resurgence after 28
Days Later
(which was actually not intended as a Zombie flick). This resurgence is not necessarily
a good thing - seeing as it leads to remakes like these. Unlike the case of the
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
remake recently, this one is an unforgivable drag. I don't mean the pace - there's
a lot of action, blood, gore and cheap scares. The only similarity is the shopping
mall our survivors hole up in and the black male protagonist (Ving). The original
George A. Romero classic had a mood and atmosphere this film doesn't even attempt
to replicate. The name sounds cool and the location is handy. For viewers unaware
of the original there may be some thrills and screams. The filmmakers seemed to
have borrowed more from 28
Days Later, from the zombie
sounds to their speed, in stead of the lethargic staggering, moaning threat of
the classic ones who may be slow, but come in a mass. At least original Dawn-
& Day Of The Dead
make-up man Tom Savini pops in for a cameo (also had a role as bike gangster in
the original and in Rodriguez & Tarantino's From
Dusk Till Dawn - probably
being the actor who's appeared in the most films with Dawn in the title). I found
the end credit sequence of handycam footage far more enjoyable than the movie
itself! 2 / B - PB THE
DAY AFTER TOMORROW With Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm Directed
by Roland Emmerich So, now Emmerich has completed his trilogy of destroying
New York in three (digitally) creative ways - first aliens blew the shit out of
it, then a giant lizard ripped it up and now global warming has melted icecaps,
created floods and a second ice age hot (or is that chilled) on its heels. As
far as disaster movies go, Emmerich knows what buttons to push. The usual
suspects include: Jack, the weather expert (who's so involved with his work he
neglects time with his son); the progeny in question who happens to be in New
York when this northern hemisphere disaster strikes; the wife and mom (a nurse
who opts to stay with a sick kid when everyone evacuates); Jack's expendable colleagues
(one named Frank); the stubborn vice president who won't listen to the weather
man's warnings; the old weather guy who backs Jack; a multitude of nameless victims...
But, the big star of course is the digital FX team who created some impressive
weather disasters, from tornados and floods to frozen cities. With Sam and a couple
of other survivors holed up in the New York library, Jack decides he's going to
get his son (cue tearful sigh or barf bag, whichever side of the fridge you find
yourself on those matters). For
a film of this magnitude you'd expect the FX to be seamless all round - enter
the digital wolves that escaped from the zoo (and are yet again depicted as bloodthirsty,
vicious beasts). Real animals would've been a much better move, the fake wolves
not in the least convincing. For all of the creative pseudo-scientific plots built
up for the entire film's premise, maybe Emmerich and his co-writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff
could've proven to be less naïve on the subject of wolves and their non-existent
hostile history towards man (though they'll explain themselves by saying the animals
were starving I guess…). All said, they are merely used as a set-up for a spot
of single-scene peril. Amid
the spectacular CGI shenanigans the humans clamour for some attention, which it
gets plenty of, but ultimately fails to convince a moviegoer who knows better.
No budget size can make up for a patronizing script that wants to get the audience
on its side by portraying contrived acts of bravery, family love and courage in
the face of humongous odds. And, did the lead protagonist's name have to
be Jack and his buddy Frank, though? The most overused, safe movie
names in the book. I'm surprised there wasn't a Molly (or maybe I wasn't
listening). The female characters don't play much of a role besides the angelic
nurse-mom and object of the young man's affection. Still, a blockbuster through
and through. 3 / B - PB

DAY
OF THE DEAD With Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Richard Liberty, Joseph
Pilato Directed by George A. Romero Romero made a zombie movie for each
decade from the '60s - '80s, the budget and FX capabilities rising each time.
In this his third zombie venture (1985) Tom Savini created some brilliant and
horrifying effects that is part of the driving force in the underground military
research facility setting. Our research protagonists are faced with a megalomaniac
army prick who decides to run things his way. This results in things falling apart
and stupidity leading to endangerment of the entire facility's small group of
survivors - animosity breeding on the inside on top of the danger posed by the
flesh eaters outside. A cool addition to the narrative includes one of the researchers
attempting to train a zombie with behavioural methods. With action, tension, gore
galore and a dark sense of humour (like the early two installments), this is a
fun ride indeed. Avoid the 4Front UK VHS release as it's cut to bits.5 / A - PB

DEAD
AGAIN With Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia Dircted by Kenneth
Branagh Good attempt by this (now former) English couple to throw a shot
at the American market (without period dress & English accents). A woman with
amnesia becomes Branagh’s problem but he helps her to get to the bottom of who
she might be. A hypnotist approaches them, trying to help. Her regression to find
out who she is and get her to speak leads to a period before her birth and her
part in the past life of a couple in the 40’s, a composer and pianist. One murdered,
the other executed for the crime. Clues unfold and the great thriller/mystery
elements really keep you there, even a few cool surprises adding to its appeal.
Worth a watch. 3 / B - PB

DEAD
HEAT With Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Lindsay Frost, Vincent Price
Directed by Mark Goldblatt Uproariously entertaining romp of two cops investigating
a company that covers up its actual activities of regenerating the dead. Things
hot up when our detectives get more personally affected. Piscopo is a hoot as
the wise-ass partner to Williams' straighter cop. With pretty cool FX, the zombie
freaks include everything from beastly bikers and hoods to the entire contents
of a Chinese butcher shop! For nostalgia the film also features the legendary
and frail Vincent Price in one of his last roles. Highly entertaining, even when
it threatens to enter tacky Troma territory. 5 / B - PB

DEAD
RINGERS With Jeremy Irons, Genevieve Bujold, Heidi Von Palleske Directed
by David Cronenberg Cronenberg continues his medical fetish with a twin brother
gynecology team marvelously portrayed by Irons. But, the one brother starts to
get a little overboard when his medical genius leads him to get obsessed with
internally mutated women, even designing special instruments. The psychological
bond and ultimate rivalry between the two brothers turn into a dangerous game.
Enthralling and shocking at the same time. 5 / B - PB...2nd opinion...DEAD
RINGERS With Jeremy Irons, Genevieve Bujold, Heidi Von Palleske Directed
by David Cronenberg David Cronenberg's sexually charged intrigue with the
human body enters a new era. Odd genius twins Elliot & Beverly Mantle become highly
sought after gynaecologists and fertility experts. The one is the playboy, accepting
the awards and wooing the ladies while the other is the introverted bookworm.
The classic good and evil twin scenario get a great twist as the psychological
make-up and intense bond of the brothers start to unravel. This pre-digital film
did a great job of fusing Irons in both roles with the then brand new motion control
technology. 4 / B - PB

THE
DEAD ZONE With Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen Directed by David Cronenberg
Cronenberg's first non-original and more commercial venture into the work
of another author sees him taking on Stephen King's tale of a school teacher who
wakes up from a lengthy coma with telekinetic powers to see events before they
happen. Walken is obviously great in the lead role as the afflicted man whose
life is turned upside down. He lost his love who gave up hope, thinking he'd never
wake from the years of unconsciousness. The burden of being haunted by visions
of misfortune also becomes heavy, but leads to many lives saved and more. A very
enjoyable thriller the subject of which was also turned into a TV series in the
early 2000s. 4 / B - PB

DEAN
MARTIN - That's Amoré In the mid-60s, Dean
Martin got
his own TV show. Amid the Ratpack he always seemed like the most comfortable guy
with less of a need to prove himself. His funny stints as the straight guy to
Jerry Lewis'
nut gained him huge popularity. So, besides a movie-, recording- and live performance
career, Dean
now also had a TV show, making him the most rounded of the bunch. This DVD contains
roughly 25 songs taken from the Dean Martin Show, two of them medleys with
Petula Clark
and Peggy
Lee. There's
everything from Where Or When, That's Amoré, C'est Si Bon, Pennies From Heaven,
to Old Man River, I'm In The Mood For Love, Memories Are Made Of This, Blue
Moon, Pretty Baby and a whole lot more. In stead of a documentary, Martin's
partner and pal producer/director Greg Garrison chats about the man and his work
in between songs. A grand flashback, especially for folks like us in a country
where television only arrived mid-70s. 4 / B - PB DEATH
RACE 2000 With John Carradine, Mary Wornov, Sylvester Stallone, Louisa Moritz,
Fred Grandy Directed by Paul Bartel This classic low-budget Roger Corman
backed flick is riotously tawdry. In the future the fascist government oversees
intense cross-country car races where the knocking over of pedestrians are encouraged
and garners extra points. The flamboyant range of racers with their themed cars
include a pre-fame Sylvester Stallone in an over the top Italian-American performance.
Some very funny moments. 4 / B - PB

DEATH
ROW UNCUT Credited
as 'too gangsta for TV', this collection of classic Death Row rappers in action
cover a range of music videos, live performances, previously unseen clips and
uncensored bits (although many still get blurred out, especially sexually explicit
sequences). Some of the heavyweights include 2Pac
(To Live
& Die In L.A., California Love, Dear Mama), Dr.
Dre (Dre
Day, Let Me Ride) and Snoop
Dogg - at
that time still Snoop
Doggy Dogg
(Who Am I, Murder Was The Case, Ain't No Fun, Gin & Juice). Others include
DJ Quik (Mo
Pussy), Warren
G & Nate Dogg
(Regulate), Daz
Dillinger
(Because Of You Girl) and The
Lady Of Rage
(Afro Puffs). Guests include the likes of KC
& JoJo, Kurupt,
Outlawz,
Ice Cube
and The Dramatics.
The usual posturing is at play with the hardcore gangsta style in full effect.
But the tough acts, guns and drugs also swing by the sexual front with some women
not shy in the least when it comes to showing what they've got. The clips are
linked up by a bunch of homies cruising in a convertible reminiscing on the tracks
screened, obviously while smoking joints. A poor photo gallery features a few
bad snaps, but there's also a trivia game and more videos as extras. At the time
of these songs and rappers it was still new and relatively fresh, today's imitations
a total bore. And on whichever side of the fence you may find yourself on the
East-West Coast debacle, I usually preferred the West side sound - while the attitude
exuding from both sides equally annoying. 4 / B - PB

DECEIVER
With Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Michael Rooker, Renee Zellweger, Ellen Burstyn,
Rosanna Arquette Directed by Jonas & Josh Pate Interesting little mindgame
thriller with a possible murderer being cross examined with a lie detector, his
epileptic fits playing a huge part as his honesty and conniving work in on the
examiners with as many skeletons in their closets.4 / C- PB

DECONSTRUCTING
HARRY With Woody Allen, Alan Alda, Judy Davis, Robin Williams Directed
by Woody Allen This film annoyed me from the very first few seconds. Allen
plays the womanizing writer who confronts his life via the stories he writes -
the characters actually communicating with him. Just a little too pretentious
in many ways with the forced style too deliberate. Then again, friends of mine
were blown away by it - different strokes and all…Woody fans will no doubt love
it, no matter what. 2 / C- PB

DEEP
IMPACT With Morgan Freeman, Tia Leone, Elijah Wood Directed by Mimi
Leder Far more believable take on the “comet about to hit earth” angle. More
realistic, passionate and believable, concentrating on the human side of things
and not the stupendous action set-pieces or cheesy romantic angle. The likelihood
here is more of a possibility with the president of the States having to make
certain decisions (like a lottery picking random names to hide in underground
shelters. The FX are breathtaking, but doesn’t dominate. An invigourating film
of likely terror, accepting the inevitable, global survival and the importance
of love. 4 / B- PBDEEP
PURPLE - Live In California '74 With the departure of Ian Gillan (that
brilliant voice I usually associate with Deep
Purple), he
was replaced by the very competent David Coverdale (who went on to start Whitesnake).
Hardcore Deep
Purple fans
will know this classic performance (whether they've seen it at a friend's place
or own the well worn VHS copy). Well, know you can get to experience the remastered,
full version of this explosive California Jam performance at the Ontario
Speedway, California in 1974, where they headlined the bill (which included Black
Sabbath, Emerson
Lake & Palmer,
Eagles
and Earth
Wind & Fire).
With a crowd of 200 000 they hit the stage with DP classics and new ones from
their recently released album Burn. The songs include that album's title
track, Might Just Take Your Life, Lay Down Stay Down, Mistreated, Smoke On
The Water, You Fool No One, and Space Truckin'. Burn and Might
Just Take Your Life was previously not part of the release. Coverdale looks
well-pissed and new vocal bassist Glenn Hughes (formerly from Trapeze)
well-coked. Obviously the solo's get played by each member, including drummer
Ian Paice, keyboard god John Lord and guitarist Richie Blackmore (whose finale
results in several guitars destroyed and amps blown up). Surprisingly at times
the sea of people in the crowd looks like a photgraph as they stand and watch,
hardly a head nodding to the beat…(?!). Extras include photo galleries and
artwork, older footage with Gillan, Super-8 footage and commentaries further exposing
the events and circumstances of this classic show). Audio options include 2.0
Dolby Stereo, 5.0 Surround Dolby Digital and 5.0 Surround DTS. The 4-page booklet
features some cool details on the show and some of its controversies. 5
/ B - PB DEEP
PURPLE - Concerto For Group And Orchestra
Predating Metallica
and Scorpions
teaming up with orchestras to give their music a symphonic work-over, many rock
fans are unaware of this magnificent occurrence predating the trend by around
30 years! Written by Deep
Purple
keyboard wizard John
Lord, the
show is an amazing musical experience fusing rebellious late 60's rock of the
Deep Purple
band with the more high brow Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra
at the Royal Albert Hall, breaking down preconceived notions from both ends of
the spectrum - music being the essence. Conducted by Malcolm
Arnold, a
brief introduction hears views from Lord
and the conductor on this incredible fusion, the show flowering into a truly fascinating
event. The Digital Surround re-mastered show also contains commentary by Lord
shedding extra light on this very cool slice of musical history. While more
Ian Gillan
vocal injections would've been fantastic, the show as a whole is well worth it,
not only for Deep
Purple fans,
but also those who can appreciate great music but never had the opportunity to
get into the band. I mean, Smoke On The Water, come on - you have to at
least know that the song exists! The great thing about music like this is that
once you're a fan, you remain one, its timeless compositions spanning generations.
This show also surely squashed the age old "rock music is not art" debate. While
it remains something we hold dear, we'll keep squashing and rocking. 5
/ A - PBDEEP
RED With David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabrielle Lavia, Clara Calamai
Directed by Dario Argento Deep
Red
is a perfect example of how a film can see many versions over the years. Obviously
most films will get their definitive versions on DVD (besides the opportunity
to get it in the best possible picture and sound quality, also getting the cleaned
up widescreen offering and uncut delivery). This DVD release is the 123-minute
version. Extras include a documentary featurette "An Eye For Horror", a 25th
Anniversary featurette and an interview with Argento, which includes footage of
director Luigi Cozzi and world renowned Tim Burton in Argento's Profondo Rosso
horror shop in Rome. This is the English version and apparently due to portions
of the soundtrack never recorded or lost, some scenes are in Italian with English
subtitles. 4 / B - PB DEEP
RED (Profondo Rosso) aka The Hatchet Murders With David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi,
Gabrielle Lavia, Clara Calamai Directed by Dario Argento With his usual
style, Dario Argento takes his viewers into the world of the psychotic killer.
Hemmings plays Marc Daly, a jazz pianist in Rome who witnesses the murder of a
blind clairvoyant who felt the presence of a killer in the audience of her seminar.
Before discovering the body, Daly unwittingly witnesses a clue that sharp viewers
can pick up if attuned to look out for hints. Together with a plucky reporter,
they investigate the murder, that doesn't stop there (it is an Argento film after
all! - complete with all the trademarks). Part murder mystery, part slasher, this
is one of the more enjoyable offerings form the "Italian Hitchcock". The
Goblins
further add to the film's character with their apt score, as they've done with
other Argento collaborations like Suspiria.
This 120-minute Redemption release is not presented in widescreen format, and
is the Italian language version with English subtitles. 4 / B (this
version) 3 / C (shortened English version) - PB THE
HATCHET MURDERS aka Deep Red With David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabrielle
Lavia, Clara Calamai Directed by Dario Argento This is one of my favourite
Argento movies, which I prefer under its Deep
Red
(Profondo
Rosso)
title. This is not the best version to get hold of. It is the 98-minute in stead
of the 2-hour cut and not a very good transfer (full screen) - it is also dubbed
into English from Italian. David Hemmings is a jazz pianist who starts to investigate
a murder he witnessed with the assistance of a reporter. This is the movie that
features a subliminal glimpse of the killer early on. Like many of Argento's movies,
The
Goblins
collaborated on the very cool soundtrack. Deep
Red
(The
Hatchet Murders)
features the classic Argento ingredients of nightmare and reality merging, bright
red blood, stabbings, hacking and heads through windows - the victims usually
women (a case which has earned him much flack over the years). 3 / C
(this version) 4 / B (full Italian version) - PB

DEF
JAM # 1 SPOT With Def Jam's incredible history, one would expect a few more
tracks than this - but they didn't necessarily have any more # 1's as presented
here, and if they had, good business sense would dictate to save some for later
releases. So, you won't find any Slayer
or Beastie
Boys on here.
What you do get are 14 tracks from Oran
"Juice" Jones,
LL Cool J
(with two tunes), Case,
Montell Jordan
(with 3, as well as with Master
P & Silkk
"The Shocker"),
Sisqo,
Dru Hill
(twice), Ashanti,
Jay-Z
with Pharrell,
and Ludacris.
For the Hip-Hop / Rap / R&B fraternity, this is a nice slice of recent history.
3 / B - PB

THE
DEMI-PARADISE With Laurence Olivier Directed by n/a Olivier plays
a Russian propeller expert visiting England during wartime. He gets to know them,
see flaws in and accepts their culture. A romantic interests obviously sits under
the surface. 3 / C- PB

THE
DENTIST With Corbin Bernsen, Linda Hoffman Directed by Brian Yuzna
Has it been six months already? Time for your check-up. The creators of the unforgettable
Re-Animator films are back with a funny, tongue in cheek, cheese fest with old
Arnie from L.A. Law playing a dentist going off his rocker. The dental-drill-squeamish
will have nightmares for a long time after this one as extreme close-ups show
teeth being grinded away, our obsessed dentist loses his marbles. Besides these
great moments, the plot plods along a little, yet, the pay-offs are worth it,
even just to see and hear everyone watching squirm with the sound of the drill.
After all, that is what horror is meant to be: tapping into those everyday fears.
In this department they get full marks, while the acting is quite acceptable.
It definitely 'aint no Re-Animator, that's for sure. It will, however, leave a
bad taste in your mouth. Gargle and...spit!3 / B- PB

DEPECHE
MODE - DevotionalAnother
cool DVD to add to your growing DM collection (see below for related reviews).
Shot on the 1993 Devotional Tour by long time collaborator Anton Corbijn,
this double disc packs in the 94-minute live show on one disc and bonus bits on
the second. This was of course the tour that swung by South Africa as well (many
a Playground-goer can reminisce about the after party excess). Here they incorporated
live drums and guitar halfway through the set, with a more rock feel - vocalist
Dave also more rugged, sporting longer hair, a goatee and tattoos. The show is
a vibrant, hypnotic affair with Dave keeping the energy alive and Martin Gore's
stunning backing vocals coming from behind the keyboards (& guitar), plus the
two powerful female singers. The 18 songs include a range of favourites from across
their repertoire like World In My Eyes, Walking In My Shoes, Behind The Wheel,
Stripped, Condemnation, I Feel You, Never Let Me Down Again, Judas, In Your Room,
Personal Jesus, Enjoy The Silence, Everything Counts plus 2 extras (Halo
& Policy Of Truth). The second disc includes supplementary material like
an MTV documentary made at the time of the tour with interviews all round. You
can view the full Corbijn created onstage projections to 8 of the songs, as well
as listen to an audio monologue by him. 6 promotional videos are added, some that
weren't on the video collection, like One Caress and a Paris Mix of Condemnation
(which also gets a live video version added). I Feel You, Walking In My Shoes
and In Your Room make up the rest with its visually striking images, be
it high contrast black & white or saturated colour. You also get to view the cool
graphic layout of the snazzy tour programmes of '92 and '93. 4 / A
- PB DEPECHE
MODE - 101 In 1988 the four young English lads going by the names
of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder cracked into the US
market with a bang that culminated at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena. Those
of us who were around at that time will remember the video release of the film
shot on that particular tour. 101 did not only follow the band on and off stage
during this career boosting trip, but also included some fans who won castings
to attend the Depeche
Mode
shows and also be a part of the on-road experience and the film. This very entertaining
film's transfer to DVD obviously gives you a little more than the video version
of a decade and a half ago. While the 101 film includes commentary tracks
by the band and filmmakers, the second disc features the entire Rose Bowl show
from 18 June '88 (mixed in 5.1 surround sound). Expect classics like Master
And Servant, Behind The Wheel, Strange Love, Stripped, Just Can't Get Enough
and Never Let Me Down Again. There are retrospective current interviews
with Dave, Martin and Fletch (all in their various American abodes - but no Alan),
their manager and road accountant and some of the young fans that became a part
of the movie. Interesting reflections. An original version of the promo music
video for Everything Counts is also thrown in. After such a long time,
personal and band turmoil, the music is still great and the film still a joy to
watch. 5 / A - PB DEPECHE
MODE - One Night In Paris After several decades,
the Depeche
Mode magic
is still well in tact, both in their incredible songwriting skills and live presence.
This phenomenal live show from their last tour in support of the Exciter
album re-establishes them as a transcendent pop force to be reckoned with. Directed
by Anton Corbijn, the choice of colours, lighting, backdrops and gigantic rear
projections are as well chosen as the songs, which includes a wide range spanning
across their illustrious (and sometimes troubled) career. The focus is firmly
set on frontman Dave Gahan and key songwriter Martin Gore, their magnetic performance
oozing at the crowd and from the screen with songs like Black Celebration,
The Sweetest Condition, Breathe, Dream On, Freelove, Enjoy The Silence, In Your
Room, Home and Personal Jesus - 20 tracks in all. This double DVD is
stylish in packaging, delivery and execution. The extra footage include key band
member interviews (Gahan, Gore & Fletcher), chats with fans outside the venue,
managers as well as director Corbijn. A fascinating portion has Corbijn supply
a voice-over through some remarkable stills taken on the tour - analyzing some
of them while others speak for themselves. A 23-minute segment offers the owner
of this classy package an exclusive viewing of the video backdrops together with
the audio of the songs, no band members or stage props obstructing your view.
A bonus track Sister Of The Night is included as well as a multi-camera
angle track where you can play Mr Director yourself. With the live drums, guitar
and back-up singers, the show is an awesome spectacle of pure talent on more than
one level and one completely worthwhile making your own, since the last time we
had the opportunity to see them live on our shores were around the early part
of the previous decade. 5 / A - PBDEPECHE
MODE - The Videos 86>98
For those who expected a total, all encompassing historic representation of the
band via their videos, you may be a touch disappointed. Early videos of tunes
like New Life, Everything Counts (here in a live version from the 101 Live
show), Master And Servant and others are unfortunately excluded. Why I
do not know - they can't be that embarrassed can, they? Their hairdo's still look
hilarious in some of the other videos! But, jokes aside, this is still a fantastic
collection of a tremendous band which is so much more than a mere pop group. You
get 21 music videos of some of their trend-setting, original and moving tracks
- everything from Stripped, A Question of Lust, A Question Of Time, Strangelove,
Never Let Me Down Again, Little 15, Personal Jesus, Policy Of Truth and I
Feel You to Walking In My Shoes, Condemnation, In Your Room, Barrel Of A Gun,
Home, Useless and Only When I Lose Myself. Thus almost documenting
their entire career in the shape of a sometimes innovative, sometimes cheezy music
video album. But wait, there's more! The disc opens with an insightful DM
interview piece and closes with a DM
short film. Alan Wilder, who departed the group in '95 also has his say in the
interviews. An essential musical addition for any respectable DVD collector. 6
/ A - PB

DESPERATE
LIVING With Mink Stole, Edith Massey Directed by John Waters One
of the few early Waters movies without Divine. Stole is a crazy neurotic housewife
who accidentally kills her husband with her enormous black housekeeper. There’s
only one place for them: Mortville. This town of lowlifes and outcasts are ruled
over by the deliciously vulgar Queen Carlada (Massey in fine form). They get taken
in by a mad lesbian couple and embark on a hectic journey into the town’s psychosis.
Great stuff. 6 / A - PB

DEUCE
BIGALOW - MALE GIGALO With Rob Schneider, Oded Fehr, William Forsyth
Directed by Mike Mitchell Totally childish but wildly funny comedy about
a fish loving pond & pool cleaner who ends up looking after a highly paid gigalow’s
house. He accidentally wrecks the guy’s super expensive fish tank and has to raise
the money before he gets back. He turns to “man-whoring” to meet this financial
threat (and fearing his life if he doesn’t). Each of his dates have some defect,
be it Teret’s syndrome, a 7 ft Swedish woman, an hardcore overweight one, etc.
Super-silly but one slapstick laugh follows the other. The best viewing circumstances
would be to get tanked with a bunch of friends and have a carefree laugh riot.
The Matrix ripped-off scenes alone are priceless. 4 / A - PB

DEVIL
IN A BLUE DRESS With Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don
Cheadle, Maury Chaykin Directed by Carl Franklin Easy Rawlins is one
of the few black post-WWII soldiers who own his own house. But with few jobs around
and mortgage to pay, a relatively easy job for good money is hard to pass up.
Especially if dead bodies start turning up. Easy’s job was to find an electoral
candidate’s girlfriend who ran off. In a smooth, typical PI style Easy gets sucked
into a thick plot, slowly boiling over. Calling in the help of a trigger-happy
old friend and Easy implicated with several murders, things can only get stickier.
4 / B - PB

DEVILS
ON THE DOORSTEP With Jiang Wen, Jiang Hongbo, Yuan Ding Directed by
Jiang Wen During the Japanese occupation of China, a simple rural man gets
forced into a soul-ripping situation. A mysterious man dumps two military prisoners
on his doorstep - he has to interrogate them and keep them there till the man
returns after New Year. Months later they were still not collected and it weighs
heavily on our reluctant protagonist, especially with one of the captives aggressively
speaking out and wanting to die - the daily Japanese band patrol passing the house
making it even more tense. Tradition, humanity and survival under many varied
circumstances make this film an intriguing cultural study in the broad sense while
its history also plays a huge part as a whole. With the ordinary people of this
small village thrown into such a situation with their lives threatened to keep
the hostages under wraps, unexpected brutality is that much more shocking when
pounced upon, the pangs of humour arising throughout, wrenched away. Shot in black
& white, this also contributes to both the emotional intensity and historic feel
- the very selective use of colour strikingly effective. While it could feel a
bit long for your average viewer, Arthouse fans will get sucked into the film's
direct and stark approach. 4 / C - PB

DIAMONDS
ARE FOREVER With Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Lana Wood, Jimmy Dean Directed
by Guy Hamilton Popular demand re-instates the people's choice to his rightful
place, albeit for one last time. Connery struts his stuff around the Netherlands
and France to prevent Blofeld from using his diamond driven lazer. This outing
sees onother pun struck lass, Plenty O'Toole as well as another Shirley Bassey
song - the women and music being sinonymous with the whole spirit of the series.
Connery did returned as Bond in the un-official Never Say Never Again which is
basically a reworking of Thunderball. 4 / A- PB

DIDO
- Live At Brixton Academy While Dido's
music is not exactly the kind you expect to go nuts to in a live environment,
this particular performance is a glowing one, transcending the listening experience
millions of fans have had via club DJs, on radio, their CD players in lounges,
bedrooms and cars over her last few albums. Recorded at her Brixton Academy show
in August 2004, the live DVD packs in 17 of her favourite songs. They include
the obvious ones like Thankyou, Life For Rent, White Flag, Sand In My Shoes,
Here With Me and Stoned, as well as Hunter, My Life, Mary's In India,
Take My Hand, All You Want, See The Sun and more. Lushly shot in High Definition
video, the back-up band also contributes to an added on-stage vibe (the percussionist
sometimes overdoing it a bit). While this live package contains no extra material,
it does however include a bonus audio CD with a dozen live recordings of her biggest
hits. 4 / B - PB

DINOSAUR
Directed by Ralph Zondag, Eric Leighton Some of the most amazing digital
animation we’ve seen. This cute tale has a dinosaur egg end up with a group of
monkeys. They raise him as their own and everything’s peachy. Until a meteor shower
destroys their island. They end up in a barren land where they meet up with a
huge troupe of migrating dinosaurs, on their way to the green valley. Pretty much
a Land Before Time story with the regular assortment of good vegetarian dinos
and the vicious carnotaurs on their trail. Sweet, invigourating and brilliantly
executed. 4 / 6 - PB

DIRTY
DANCING 2 Havana Nights With Diego Luna, Romola Garai, Sela Ward, John Slattery,
January Jones, Polly Cusumano, Patrick Swayze Directed by Guy Ferland Two
decades after the Patrick Swayze dancing hit had the world on fire (even winning
a best song Oscar®), some producers thought it's time for a cash-in. Here we enter
the life of a young girl who moves to Cuba with her family for her dad's business
obligations. It is on the verge of revolution and our prudish young girl befriends
a fiery young man who teaches her the real way to dance, with all of her body
and soul. Swayze pops in for a cameo, still giving dance classes. Older and more
leathery, he still has some moves, though. Our heroine and her new guy (who obviously
will not be accepted by everyone), decide to enter a dance contest. The boy's
brother is part of the revolution and the forbidden love between the two will
not be a smooth one. With a sultry Latin-Pop flavoured soundtrack this is entertaining,
especially for dance and romance fans, but it's not exactly an indispensable piece
of entertainment. PS. This is supposed to be based on true events and was
produced by Lawrence Bender who also did Tarantino'sPulp
Fiction!
3 / C - PB

DIRTY
PRETTY THINGS With Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sergi Lopez Directed
by Stephen Frears Illegal aliens and refugees are a low-key part of many
countries, performing jobs the born citizens wouldn't normally want to. It is
West London. Okwe is a Nigerian exile (a doctor by profession) driving taxis and
working at a hotel - the few hours he can get some sleep, it is on the couch of
a Turkish immigrant, Senay, who works in the same hotel as a chambermaid. As if
he doesn't have enough problems, Okwe gets roped into the problems of others.
But, when he finds a human heart in one of the seedy hotel's toilets, he becomes
a part of dark underground dealings. Frears succeeds in accurately replicating
this hidden world and the parts of London you don't see in brochures, leaving
both a bitter taste and a sense of triumph with the viewer. 5 / C
- PB

THE
DISH With Sam Neill, Kevin Harrington, Tom Long Directed by Rob Sitch
This magic little Australian film deals with that country's involvement in
the first moon walk of the late 60s - due to its location in the southern hemisphere
and the particular radio telescope dish which hadn't really served much purpose
up until that historic point. The focus is on the small team of Aussies and one
NASA exec manning the satellite dish, their trials and tribulations threaded with
a sparkling, innocent sense of humour as well as a bitter-sweet streak of humanity.
No violence, drugs or vulgarity - just a very real event and its effect on a small
town and its eclectic bunch of characters. Not to be missed. 5 / B
- PB

DIVAS
LAS VEGAS
What a treat for fans of Celine
Dion,
Cher,
Anastacia,
Shakira
and the Dixie
Chicks!
This concert to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation hit Vegas with
a bang. Celine
gives the audience I'm Alive and A New Day Has Come while she opens
it up with Anastacia
doing an AC/DC
number, You Shook Me All Night Long (!). The latter throaty lass also does
One Day In Your Life while Cher
makes her entrance (to what seems like a largely female thronging audience) with
Believe and This Is The Song For The Lonely. Shakira performs a
seated Underneath Your Clothes (no ass bopping) while Dixie
Chicks do
Landslide with the legendary Fleetwood
Mac lass,
Stevie
Nicks.
The new divas close the show with an Elvis Medley Finale. A concise and
to the point documentary of the show doesn't go too deep into the whole affair
but offer enough to prevent it from being a useless snippet. An additional bonus
to this package includes an audio CD - not half bad. 3 / B - PB

DIVING
DEEP Submarines seem like a sinking and rising "thing". Until you've watched
this video, that is. The complexity of these pressure defying vessels and the
amazing living body they explore seemed to have been overshadowed by other machines
throughout history. A relatively young developed vehicle as opposed to others,
numerous intriguing facts come to light on the workings of these "tubes". The
incredible pressure they withstand and the role they played in defense changed
the face of the ocean forever; not to mention the amazing finds they've made -
Titanic for instance. It even made cinematic masterpieces like Das Boot possible.
This video also includes research subs like Alvin, military disasters like The
Thresher and the internal workings of a nuke sub, the USS Scranton. We get a glimpse
at bizarre underwater life at killer depths and are enlightened with new developments
which include re-breathers. 4 / B- PB

THE
DIVORCE OF LADY X With Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Binnie Barnes, Ralph
Richardson Directed by Tim Whelan A cute little romantic comedy with
a cocky little lady conning her way into a man’s hotel room after a dense London
fog makes it impossible for guests at a ball to get home. This leads to all sorts
of silliness, especially the result of her mistaken identity. The colourization
gives the scenes and especially the cityscapes a great neon glow.4 / C
- PB

DR
NO With Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord Directed
by Terence Young In 1962 the first in the Bond series for the widescreen launched
Sean Connery's career into super stardom. (The first aired Bond was actually a
one off 60's TV drama, Casino Royale) In this hokey-by-today's high tech motion
picture standards, we have Blofeld, the cunning nut our James has to stop, interfering
with missile launches at Cape Canaveral. The Cold War atmosphere of the films,
even if the Russians aren't involved, is ever present. Connery still remains the
hands down favourite Bond and slipped very comfortably into the character, laying
the foundation for his successors. A year later, From Russia With Love took viewers
to Istanbul and Turkey where James warred his recurring nemesis SPECTRE (Special
Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) - quite a
mouth full, but not for 007 ! 3 / A- PB

DR.
STRANGELOVE or: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB With Peter
Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, Keenan Wynn Directed
by Stanley Kubrick Mind-blowing fictitious account of a US army bigwig flipping
out and ordering a nuclear attack. The crisis in the War Room and other military
areas (including the nuke planes themselves encapsulate this cinically hilarious
look at such a disaster. Marvelous script, great action, wonderful black & white
photography. Sellers shines ion multiple roles while Kubrick shows the world he’s
one of the best directors around. 6 / A - PB

DR
T & THE WOMEN With Richard
Gere, Helen Hunt, Kate Hudson, Tara Reed, Farrah Fawcett, Laura Dern, Liv Tyler,
Shelley Long Directed by Robert Altman A popular gynecologist in Dallas
is surrounded by women - Not only those who come in to see him, but also his staff
and home life, including wife, daughters, sister and her daughters. And then,
the other woman. He seems to be pretty much in control when everything scatters
in all directions. One of his daughters are about to get married and his wife
slips into a rare psychological dementia. He has to cope with his smooth life
suddenly going haywire. Hunting with the guys and golf just doesn't cut it. The
new golf instructor (Hunt) on the other hand, does. Especially when his wife's
situation doesn't subside, her wanting a divorce and his daughter to be wed possibly
a lesbian. It seems as if only a natural disaster can get him out of the chaos…
Altman has become a cult director with everyone praising anything he puts out.
Gere is still considered a sex symbol. Fawcett is an ex-sex symbol whose career
might get re-ignited with this picture, ala Travolta. Hudson, Reed and Tyler are
new rising-star-sex-symbols. Add an eye-popping finale to the gender focussed
theme and you might just have a film on your hands that'll have people talking.
4
/ C - PB DOMESTIC
DISTURBANCE With John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Steve Buscemi Directed
by Harold Becker Suspense by numbers. A divorced couple gets along quite
nicely in a small town, both loving and sharing their son without a hitch. In
step the new boyfriend - and new husband to be. The Cry Wolf principle comes into
play where the son's history of rebellious actions when upset is suspected when
he accuses his new stepfather of murder. But, his real dad seems to be the only
one who is prepared to believe him, even after losing custody. The not-so tense
finale makes you wonder how they could've come up with such a basic, unoriginal
and crap climax. Where we would've expected far more from Travolta, especially
at this stage in his career, he merely goes through the motions in what should've
been a TV movie. Even cult-guy Buscemi fails to spice it up with his small role.
I didn't walk out of the cinema feeling like a million bucks, but I'm sure Travolta
went home after shooting with more than 20 times that, and I'm sad to say, not
deservingly so. 1 / C - PB

DON'T
LOOK NOW With Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie Directed by Nicolas
Roeg This intense drama from the man who gave us pop-starring flicks like
Performance (Mick Jagger) and The Man Who Fell To Earth (David Bowie), Roeg sculpted
an atmospheric thriller of a couple trying to come to terms with the drowning
death of their daughter. The refusal to accept this and partly feeling responsible,
visions of the red coat girl in the streets of Venice become more vivid, seeming
more than hallucinations. A hectic final shocker moment makes it even more worth
the while.5 / B - PB DON'T
SAY A WORD With Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy, Famke Janssen,
Oliver Platt Directed by Gary Fleder This kidnap drama places a psychologist
in the terrible predicament of playing against the clock to save his daughter.
His task is to crack a code from a mental patient whose clue from a decade before
means riches for a gang of ruthless criminals. Douglas is adequate as the father
fighting for his child while Fleder builds suspense steadily to a fairly predictable
climax. Bean makes a fairly convincing bad guy while the disturbed Murphy pulls
off a good role. Janssen is hot as usual (even if she's in a leg cast). Platt
is just an extra amid the rest of the story and stars. 4 / B - PB

DOOM
With Karl Urban, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Rosamund Pike Directed by
Andrzej Bartkowiak Based on the popular first person shoot 'em up game that
emerged in the early '90s and still going strong, Doom
could've been a far greater cinematic event than it turned out to be. But, with
the basics of the game boiling down to "blowing the shit out of alien monsters",
there's not much to go with here except using well-worn sci-fi and horror elements
to give the regular audience (who may never have laid their eyes on the game)
something they can grasp. A gateway was found between earth and Mars. A colony
on the red planet is in danger and a team of military experts (sometimes cannily
reminiscent of the GIs in Aliens) has to go up and sort things out. What they
discover there is the result of experiments with a gruesome outcome, the results
being xenomorph beasts with quite a temper and no table manners. Recent 007
gal Pike is the medical expert trying to get to the bottom of the mutated mystery
while her brother (as part of the interstellar S.W.A.T. team) has to rise to be
the hero - at a price. The Rock returns to a more evil role (as he debuted in
The
Mummy Returns,
but became a relatively hot property as an action hero with a righteous streak).
Amid the predictable dark corridor moments, gunfire and growling monsters, there
is one moment however, where the hero's first person point of view is taken as
in the game, heading down the passages blowing the crap out of everything in his
way. Monster make-up designed by the legendary Stan Winston. 2 / B -
PB

THE
DOORS of the 21st Century - L.A. Woman Live When Jim Morrison sadly
departed this realm mid-'71, the last Doors
album (L.A. Woman) did not complete its full cycle. This is the tour of
the album that never happened - over two decades later. Remaining Doors
members Ray Manzarek (keyboards) and Robby Krieger (guitar) recruited Cult
frontman Ian Astbury to fill the mighty shoes of a rock icon…and he pulls it off
admirably. Besides Val Kilmer (who did his own singing in Oliver Stone's Doors
movie), I can't think of a better choice than Astbury. He has the voice, charisma,
attitude and confidence (his long black hair cropped into more of a Jim do). The
15 tracks include such classics as Roadhouse Blues, Break On Through (To The
Other Side), When The Music's Over, Love Her Madly, Riders On The Storm, Light
My Fire and of course, L.A. Woman. The End would've been a great
addition though. These songs are still fantastic, not aging a bit. Instead of
extra features (a making-of would've been cool), there are current interview snippets
scattered between songs. All good things come to an end, but thankfully we can
revisit those memories any time we like. 5 / A - PB

DOUBLE
JEOPARDY With Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones Directed by Bruce Beresford
Beresford has built up a fine body of work over the years and makes one wonder
why he’d opt for a project like this one. It’s one of those suspense thrillers
that could’ve been made by anyone. No special signature or stamp can be detected.
The absolutely beautiful Ashley Judd gets thrown in jail for the murder of her
husband. Obviously she didn’t do it and she finds out that he’s alive and living
with her friend and son. When released on parole she embarks on a furious mission
to track them down and get her son back. After waiting for six years, she’s all
out of patience. As a friend of mine said, it’s better than expected (with most
of the plot given away in trailers). Aside from the basics, the pacing is generally
good with Jones hot on parole breaker Judd’s trail. But, with the double jeopardy
case in law where she cannot be convicted of the same crime twice, she can kill
her husband in a crowd and she cannot be touched…what do you think she’ll do?
3 / C - PB

DOWN
WITH LOVE With Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor A cute flashback to those
frivolous little Carey Grant-style romantic gender comedies of the 40s & 50s,
this brightly lit, colourful flick sees a little nobody girl becoming a best selling
relationship author. A cunning playboy reporter goes undercover to get the lowdown
on her, and you can imagine what the end result is… 3 / C - PB

Bram
Stoker's DRACULA With Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Hopkins,
Richard E. Grant, Carey Elwes, Tom Waits Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Godfather
director Coppola set out to make the definitive version of Bram Stoker's vampire
tale. He did a splendid job. By pulling in a top cast (Keanu Reeves perhaps the
worst choice), he made a colourful, striking, entertaining and irresistible film
utilizing many classic and traditional effect techniques. For those who are unfamiliar
with the tale, a young real estate agent (Jonathan Harker) is summoned to Transylvania
where a reclusive count wishes to discuss property matters. The flamboyantly eccentric
man is in fact a vampire and sees a photo of the Harker's fiancé, reminding him
of his dead love. He undertakes to keep Jonathan captive in his castle and travels
to London to reclaim his bride. Oldman is outstanding as the undead Count Dracula.
An amazing mood throughout is boosted by the brilliant soundtrack by Wojchiech
Klar.5 / A - PB DRAGONFLY
With Kevin Costner, Kathy Bates Directed by Tom Shadyac The passionate
union of a dedicated doctor-couple gets tragically severed when the wife dies
in a bus accident in South America. Throwing himself into his work, the disoriented
husband doesn't give himself time to grieve. Slowly he starts to sense his wife
in small hints and clues which escalate into serious apparitions and evidence
that she is trying to contact him - all those he informs not believing it, obviously.
But, Dragonfly holds more than that
as we're taken through the psychological distress of a man losing his life partner,
confronted with disturbing (yet hope inducing) visions and/or evidence of her
reaching for him for some reason. Or is he not ready to let go yet? While clues
as to the way the whole tale plays out are laid down early in the film, it is
a far more enjoyable process to let the story do the solving in stead of you playing
Jessica Fletcher. Hardly a soppy romance, not quite a ghost story, Dragonfly
is a surprisingly pleasant Costner vehicle with a lot of heart and well
worth catching. 4 / C - PB

DREAMCATCHER
With Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane, Donny Wahlberg, Jason Lee
Directed by Lawrence KasdanThe
chance of any Stephen King writing not making it to the screen (big or small)
is very slim. And when he writes a horror tale of alien parasites infiltrating
earth with a group of friends unwittingly being man's salvation, what's the chance
of it not getting committed to celluloid? The old King premise of a bunch of guys,
friends since school days, become the core of this exciting invasion scenario.
With flashbacks we get to know the varied characters and how they befriended a
retarded boy (Douglas) who was being picked on. He became instrumental in tying
together their friendship, each of them gaining a special kinetic power. During
one of the group's get-togethers in the woods (during a particularly cold and
snowy season), they become the focal point of a horrible invasion. The military
places the area and its surrounding woods under quarantine, and one of the friends
(Jonesy) become the host to a head alien out to cause irreparable damage to the
human race. The moods, thrills and gross-out factors are well balanced with some
very familiar Stephen King devices injected. An enjoyable flick, especially if
you want your date to cling to you. 3 / B - PB THE
DRILLER KILLER With Jimmy Laine, Carolyn Marz, Babi Day, Bob DeFrank, Peter
Yellen Directed by Abel Ferrara Controversial director Abel Ferrara
stars in his first name making feature under the pseudonym Jimmy Laine. He plays
Reno, a passionate (and annoying) struggling New York painter who slowly starts
losing his mind and ventures out to kill (mainly homeless) people with a drill
and portable power pack. He's stuck on one particular painting of a buffalo while
the rent money is low - his girlfriend footing the bill. With a questionable budget,
Ferrara, writer Rochelle Weisberg and the inexperienced cast managed to put together
a gritty and sometimes tacky little piece of work around 1977-78, making big waves
in the "video nasty" debacle of the early '80s. With a lot of time spent on Tony
Coca-Cola and The Roosters as the band who performs in the club frequent by the
artist and his girlfriends, this extends even further into the picture as they
rent a room below theirs for rehearsals. Powertool murders became a horror staple
after the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre,
and to a certain extent this 16mmm feature also holds a dirty charm. Extra features
include a trailer and Ferrara filmography (containing some interesting additions
like his episodes for TV shows like Miami
Vice
and Crime
Story).
But the low highlight is Ferrara's whacked out commentary track (recorded at the
Chelsea Hotel in 1999). His incoherent mumblings hint at not all his faculties
being present (for whatever natural or unnatural reasons) as he waffles to the
pictures like a drunk watching some of his old home movies. Interesting, but hardly
informative. 3 / B - PB

DRILLING
THE VEIN With various artists Directors: Various With fewer and
fewer broadcast opportunities for music videos by bands who lean towards the heavier
spectrum in sound exploration, it is hard for bands to get their music into the
public domain and have the budget to afford the luxury of a professional video.
The Roadrunner records bands all get to produce above average to great videos
and on these compilations you can get a good look at them over and over. The bands
on here include Fear Factory, Machine Head, Sepultura, Obituary, Coal Chamber,
Biohazard, Madball, Life Of Agony, Shelter, Dog Eat Dog, Type O Negative and Junky
XL. Lively and full blast, this compilation is exhilarating from start to finish.4 / A- PB

DRILLING
ANOTHER VEIN With various artists Directors: Various This is the
second in Roadrunner Records’ video compilations focussing on the harder, more
aggressive side of music. The videos are as professional as any overplayed R&B
video that gets heavy rotation on all TV channels. These rarely seen videos are
energy packed and visually provocative, enough of a combination to give it a good
look. The great bands on here include Fear Factory, Soulfly, Machine Head, Sepultura,
Life Of Agony, Type O Negative, Dog Eat Dog, Junkie XL, Biohazard, Vision Of Disorder,
Obituary, Deicide and Brujeria. From Hard Rock, Hardcore and Hip-Hop Metal to
Death, Electro- and New Metal, it’s all here. 4 / A - PB

DRIVE
ME CRAZY With Melissa Joan Hart, Adrian Grenier, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, Ali
Larter, Mark Webber Directed by John Schultz Surprisingly enjoyable
teen flick with a high school girl, Nicole, on the side of the beautiful in-crowd
and her rebellious classmate (Chase, her neighbour & junior school boyfriend)
who both end up with no dates for the prom (Sigh! Yes, the prom again being the
focus for a finale). They work on a scam to get his activist ex back by acting
as in-crowd imposter, making her jealous; going clean cut and preppie from his
grungy style. She wants the basketball team star. But, as expected, they start
to fall for each other and he begins slipping into the new clique (much to his
friends’ dismay, disappointment & disgust, with whom he used to play pranks on
the annoying popular bunch). All the clichés are here, but in some weird-weird
way it still entertains. 3 / C- PB

DRIVEN
With Sylvester Stallone, Gina Gershon, Burt Reynolds, Kip Pardue, Robert
Sean Leonard, Estella Warren, Til Schweiger Directed by Renny Harlin On
vacating the cinema I felt dizzy and close to a nauseating encounter. Not because
the picture was a stupendous thrill ride, not because I’m pregnant, but because
of the bombardment of branding, product symbols and company logos. Written by
Stallone, it’s the set of well-known characters and shifted setting. The two young
speedway grand prix race drivers & their rivalry - the one dumping his girl and
ending up with the other. The old racer who gets called in by the tough team owner
to whip the young world champ contender into shape, help him focus and give him
some $2 wisdom. The ex-wife who married the old team mate. All present. Race car
fans will love the fast cut, ear popping overload - but the goddamned branding
- man, if only Stallone spent as much time on the script as the product placement
team did, we’d have a winner. A couple of cool crashes and FX make up for the
“human” tedium, love, heroism, friendship & triumph, while some horrendous, super-cringing
moments, predictability and transparent 2-D characterization slog through a whole
lot of flash & little grab. Reynolds plays the wheelchair bound ex-driver who
runs his team with more fury to make up for his physical inadequacy. The role
could’ve been played with equal ease by Hackman or Duvall (but then he’d already
done Days Of Thunder). Burt looks as if someone’s pulling his skin back in an
attempt to get the corners of his mouth to have and intimate moment with his earlobes
- but, who am I to judge anyone with enough money & vanity to do that to themselves
- nice rug, though. Stallone is the guy who blew his chances but now has the opportunity
to live it through the young gun as his 2nd driver, filled with experience and
morality. The boys are “sexy” while the girl looks as if she’s having an allergic
reaction to something, swelling up from lips to tits. I’m sure the ideal demographic
will love it, though. One aching bad moment has one of the boys flip and leave
a car launch party in one of the F1s, pursued by Stallone in the other, stopping
him in the middle of the city (having caused urban road havoc) and launch into
a tender talk about the true purpose and other cookie tossing shite - no police
grabbing them asking what the hell they think they’re up to, just constant distant
sirens. A cool moment has shots of real drivers in pre-race moments of intimacy
- nice. What seems like a cameo appearance, one driver looks a lot like director
Harlin who chopped his blonde hair off. All in all Drivel, I mean, Driven is a
fast paced car fan’s wet dream while the rest is just space filling. The soundtrack
is by BT, and that’s not British Telecom. 3 / C - PB DRUM
With Taye Diggs, Moshidi Motshegwa, Gabriel Mann, Jason Flemyng, Tumisho
Masha Directed by Zola Maseko Premiering at the Sithengi film market
in Cape Town November 2004, the wider public can now get to see this important
slice of South African life. International star Taye Diggs does a convincing local
interpretation as a prominent writer for Drum, the famed black magazine still
running today. With a host of characters and personalities around him, including
the magazines white editor, a mistress and a fatal gangster acquaintance, life
swerves between joy and sorrow, jubilation and despair. Incorporating the mid-century
Apartheid evictions in Sophiatown, general nightlife and a man with a vision to
bring South African township life to the people, Maseko paints a vivid, entertaining
and bittersweet picture of an era passed. 4 / B - PB DUDE,
WHERE'S MY CAR? With Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Kristy Swanson,
Jennifer Garner Directed by Danny Leiner When it comes to dumb-ass teen
flicks, Dude gets this year's award. Two stoners awake with blank memories
of the night before. They encounter a stack of characters relating to the evening's
escapades, from hot (transsexual) lap dancers and idiot cops to chicks & poofs
from outer space and trekkie-type nerds. They'd wrecked their twin girl friends'
home during a party but can't remember a thing. Neither can they recall the suitcase
of cash they allegedly had, the rental car, the custom made oldschool Adidas tracksuits
or device that could end the universe. Our reluctant heroes roll with it, but
with their angry girlfriends still fuming they realise they needed to get them
anniversary gifts. It has to be in the car - that's where the movie title comes
in. Their search leads them through all sorts of adventures, discoveries and ultra-corny
jokes, some very funny, but because of its stupidity. "Bill & Ted 2001" indeed.2
/ B- PBTHE
DUKES OF HAZZARD With Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, Burt Reynolds,
Jessica Simpson, Joe Don Baker, Willie Nelson Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar
The remakes are flying fast and thick, including the cinematic versions of
TV shows. This original Dukes
Of Hazzard
television series was just a lot of the same as the Duke cousins speed from the
law in their orange muscle car as they transport their uncle's moonshine. In this
case they're played by Seann William Scott, jackass alumni Johnny Knoxville, and
country star Willie Nelson respectively. Daisy, their female sibling in the denim
shorts always sent out to flirt with the cops when they're in a jam, is played
by pop star Jessica Simpson. Their nemesis, Boss Hogg, is the conniving Southerner
with Hazzard County in his pocket (here played by Burt Reynolds). Some crazy car
chases and stunts fuel the action as the good 'ol boys try to save Hazzard County
from being strip-mined by Boss Hogg, blindsiding the town by putting on a cross-state
rally (which the Dukes are intent on winning). A fun, yet silly romp. 3
/ B - PB

DUNE
With Kyle MacLaghlan, Max Von Sydow, Jurgen Prochnow, Sting, Sean Young,
Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, José Ferrer, Francesca Annis Directed by David
Lynch The huge task of translating the vast science-fiction world of Frank
Herbert to the screen oddly fell on the shoulders of off-center director David
Lynch. But, in effect this added to the dark tone he is so good at. Regardless
of Herbert purists who felt too much was left out or altered, they must realize
that a film cannot be six hours long. The far reaching originality of the material
get utilized well as we follow a young Paul Atreidis' rise to become the desert
world saviour where gigantic sandworms roam, the Spice at the heart of it all.
The Harkonnen villains are adequately slimey, with a range of interesting races
and creeds from across the universe dealing with politics, power struggles and
fights for survival. Dune
features Kyle MacLaghlan who became a Lynch regular and did a soundtrack by rock
group Toto
and great costume design. This is one of the director's most glossy and commercial
movies, but excels at giving us quirky, dark, thinly veneered alternate realities
from small town America to the big city, as in Blue
Velvet
and Mulholland
Drive.
PS. Sixteen years later a more detailed TV mini-series with William Hurt
paid more attention to Herbert's many plot points, but it lacked Lynch's ominous
mood. 4 / B - PB DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS With Jeremy Irons, Justin Whalin, Marlon Wayans, Zoe McLellan,
Thora Birch, Richard O'BrienDirected
by Courtney Solomon This fun fantasy flick has less dragons than one would've
hoped for. Jeremy Irons (the head baddy) and his Right Said Fred side-kick
hams and ponces it up as our 4 heroes (covering many genders, races and ages)
go on their adventurous quest filled with action and magic. With comedy thrown
in for good measure it should fall more in the youngsters' taste even though it's
supposed to be based on a game whose fanatic followers are all meant to be adults.
Richard O'Brien has a nasty little role as well (you know the guy behind Rocky
Horror Picture Show). My viewing companion remarked afterwards how many Star
Wars relations there were. hmm. Interesting. Check it out and see if you can spot
the similarity in characters from Darth Vader and Luke to Yoda and Darth Maul.2
/ B-
PBDUPLEX
With Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore, Eileen Essell, Harvey Fierstein, James
Remar Directed by Danny DeVito Another silly-Stiller comedy, Barrymore
aiding good support as they portray a young couple trying to buy their first place.
They can only afford to buy in Brooklyn and happen to land a fantastic deal. It's
a huge place where he can write his second book in peace. The bonus is, it's a
duplex, but the catch is, there's an old lady in the separate upstairs area and
due to rent control she has to leave of her own free will. Slowly but surely this
sweet old lady starts to drive the couple up the wall, making the most dreadful
noise at all hours, always bugging them or asking Stiller to help her with little
shitty bits & pieces from plumbing to taking out the trash. He's pooped every
day from the noisy night's lack of sleep and daily errand & odd jobs for their
tenant, and spends the day napping instead of writing. Systematically they start
going nuts and even considers the most drastic of measures, knocking her off.
Some pretty funny moments result from this frustrating scenario with a twist at
the end. Director Danny DeVito had some practice with annoying old ladies in his
Throw Momma From The Train. 3 / B - PB